The 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy wrapped up Sunday
after over 300 defense ministers and other senior government
officials discussed for three days a wide range of security
issues.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged to stop Iran from building
nuclear weapons, saying Iran's nuclear program raised "legitimate
suspicions" of being for military use and "overstepped a red
line".
"Diplomatic avenues need to be exhausted. We need to keep our
nerves, go step by step," she said.
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called for diplomatic
means to prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program.
"The world does not want -- and must work together to prevent --
a nuclear Iran," Rumsfeld said at the annual conference.
"We must continue to work together to seek a diplomatic solution
to stopping the development of its uranium enrichment program," he
added.
But he made a verbal attack on Iran's government, saying: "The
Iranian regime is today the world's leading state sponsor of
terrorism."
He also urged the US allies to invest more in NATO so as to
fight terrorism.
One of the tasks facing the West, Rumsfeld said, is "to continue
to transform NATO for the 21st century, invest in the NATO Response
Force, broader common funding, and encourage NATO to develop an
expeditionary culture and capability."
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer urged to transform
NATO and establish closer links with nations beyond Europe.
He described the links with NATO's partner countries -- from
Austria to Finland and from Armenia to Kazakhstan -- as "a true
asset".
"We need to ensure that we have the closest possible partnership
with those countries that can, and are willing to, help defend our
shared values," he added.
He said that the 26-member military bloc is not a global
policeman, but "we have increasingly global partnerships."
NATO would build closer ties with nations such as Australia, New
Zealand, South Korea and Japan, he said.
He urged that NATO should strengthen ties with the European
Union, saying "deeper transatlantic dialogue within NATO isn't
enough".
"We also have to build a pragmatic, strategic partnership with
the EU," he said.
He urged for political, military and financial solidarity, as
"solidarity is the key" in taking up the different challenges in
this new world.
Iranian representative, Abbas Araghchi, warned that referral of
Iran to the UN Security Council would lead to escalation of nuclear
crisis.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International
Affairs, noted the referral would "loosen our hands and lead to
escalation which no one needs".
He explained nuclear facilities in Iran opened to international
inspectors and every step of nuclear program of his country is
clear.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov Sunday called for the
establishment of a joint front for combating international
terrorism.
Ivanov said such a front "can be effective under aegis of the
United Nations only".
There were grounds to expect a high "wave" of terrorism and new
large-scale terrorist attacks.
Offering three proposals, Ivanov said the first was liquidation
of possible loopholes in the international law and domestic
legislation, which allow terrorists and their allies to elude the
responsibility.
The second was overcoming of double standards in evaluating
terrorist threat and in respect of terrorists themselves, urging
for a common definition of "terrorism".
On the last day of the meeting, Zhang Zhijun, Vice Minister of
the International Department of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China, elaborated on the objectives of China's
security policy, saying they are designed to safeguard sovereignty,
unity and territorial integrity.
He said, aside from maintaining its own stability and
development, maintaining peace and stability in the neighboring
areas and promoting international security dialogue and cooperation
were also the objectives of the Chinese security policy.
(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2006)
